League of Legends ‘Honor’ system rewards players who are helpful & nice

League of Legends developer Riot Games has revealed a new scheme to help whip its community into a frenzy of helpfulness, smiles and goodwill. This is the internet however, and those things are rare. Still, the new ‘honor’ system looks to reward fair play and kindness.

The studio’s statement read, “Today, we’d like to introduce Honor, our positive feedback initiative. We’re well versed in research done on concepts in psychology such as positive reinforcement and how it can improve behaviors, and we’ve also found that some of the most meaningful, memorable moments in League come from the positive interactions players have with each other.”

“Everyone’s had one of these days: You are struggling in a game and find yourself in a situation where a teammate could have easily trolled or flamed you, but instead goes out of his way to be a helpful, compassionate team-player. He says, ‘Hey, don’t worry about the first blood.’ You may not friend this player or ever play with him again, but this small, kind gesture made a difference and is something you remembered.”

“Through Honor you’ll be able to give something lasting back to those players who went out of their way to make your game experience better. Keep an eye out for Honor with the next PBE update, and expect to hear more about it in an upcoming patch.”

Sounds good, but will it make a difference. We’ll need to wait and see.